Tybee Island, GA tide times

Tybee Island is the outermost of Georgia's barrier islands, 24 kilometres east of Savannah at the mouth of the Savannah River. The ocean-facing North Beach and the main South Beach front the Atlantic directly, without the protection of an outer barrier, making Tybee the point where the open ocean meets the tidal Georgia coast. Mean tidal range here is approximately 2.0 metres above MLLW — slightly less than the upriver Savannah station because some tidal energy has already dissipated in the estuary, but still one of the larger ranges on the US Atlantic seaboard. Spring tides reach 2.5 metres, exposing a wide intertidal zone across the beach face and extending the low-water shoreline 60 to 80 metres beyond the mean high-water line on the south end of the island.

Tybee Island Lighthouse, at the north end of the island beside the river mouth, stands 44 metres tall and was first lit in 1736 — making it one of the oldest light stations in the US. The current brick tower dates from 1867 reconstruction after Civil War damage. At low water spring tides, the broad tidal flat south of the lighthouse extending toward the North Beach inlet is largely exposed — a wide expanse of wet sand and shallow tidal pools popular with families hunting sand crabs and shell material. The flat drains fully in about two hours from the high-water mark; the incoming tide reclaims it quickly, and anyone walking far out should watch the rate of return.

The south end of Tybee, where the main beach access, pier, and pavilion are concentrated, faces south and southwest toward Wassaw Sound. The pier at 16th Street extends 200 metres into the sound and is publicly accessible for fishing year-round. Spotted seatrout, red drum, whiting (southern kingfish), and sharks are the primary species from the pier; bait-soaking with live or cut shrimp is most productive on the incoming tide when the current through the sound runs northeast. At peak summer low tides, the beach south of the pier exposes a broad flat where hermit crabs, ghost crabs, and wading birds — mostly willets, sanderlings, and marbled godwits on migration — are easily observed from close range.

The Back River side of Tybee, along US 80 approaching the island, borders the tidal creeks and marshes of Little Tybee Island State Park — an uninhabited barrier accessible only by boat and the largest undeveloped barrier island on the Georgia coast. Kayakers launch from the Lazaretto Creek boat ramp and can access miles of cordgrass-lined tidal creek on either the flood or ebb. The Lazaretto Creek inlet runs 1.0 to 1.5 knots on spring tides; paddlers should plan returns with the current rather than against it.

For surf fishing, the groin fields and the beach north of the pier at Tybee are productive for whiting, pompano, and bluefish in the surf line. The most consistent bite is the outgoing tide, roughly one hour before low water when fish move into the surf trough to feed in the concentrated baitfish that wash off the flats. Photographers working the Tybee lighthouse will find the best light in the morning from the beach side (northeast face), with a mid-range to low tide exposing the foreground tidal flat. Families with children have reliable shell-hunting ground on the lower flat after any spring low tide. Stand-up paddlers and recreational kayakers favor the back-bay route along the US 80 causeway marshes, which is sheltered from ocean swell.

Tide predictions on this page are from Open-Meteo Marine, a global gridded ocean model, with typical accuracy of plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height. NOAA CO-OPS station 8670118 at Tybee Island is the authoritative gauge for this location, with calibrated harmonic predictions available at tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov.